It's a win for green business and community collaboration in Portland as the PDX Clean Industry Network scores a $100,000 Community Energy Innovation Prize. According to an announcement released by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) last Tuesday, Portland's own bureau of planning and a medley of area partners, have clinched a top spot in a nationwide contest promoting clean energy solutions.
The prize, part of the DOE's American-Made Challenges, was nabbed by a coalition comprising the city's Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS), along with Columbia Corridor Association, Portland State University's Institute for Sustainable Solutions, Prosper Portland, Energy 350, among others, the City of Portland's website reported. The fund is earmarked to support industrial symbiosis projects that aim to reduce carbon emissions, pollution, and waste while fostering growth in the clean manufacturing workforce.
Portland Commissioner Carmen Rubio weighed in on the grant's potential impact. "This grant will support a network of local industrial practices that drives profitability, creates good-paying jobs, and provides opportunities for all of our communities, while actively reducing carbon emissions and making other positive environmental impacts," Rubio said in a statement obtained by the City of Portland's website.
The grant is also expected to turbocharge the Clean Industry Initiative, which is a push to shift Portland's industrial sector to more sustainable operations. "This is the most exciting prospect I’ve seen for Portland in a long time," Corky Collier, Executive Director of Columbia Corridor, said according to the City of Portland. "We expand jobs and improve the environment by collaborating with manufacturers to find profitable ways to reduce emissions."
Looking ahead, the PDX Clean Industry Network will enter the PROGRESS Phase, aimed at implementing their community project plans. Come July, they'll provide a progress report for a chance to snag an additional $100,000, advancing next to the IMPACT phase, capping off with a presentation on their accomplishments in December 2024.
